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Letterman’s Blackmailer Gets Emmy Nod. Letterman Doesn’t.

By Brian Stelter July 16, 2010 1:30 pmJuly 16, 2010 1:30 pm

Robert Joel Halderman

Robert Joel Halderman, in jail for trying to extort money from David Letterman, is nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy Award. Coincidentally, Mr. Letterman’s “Late Show” was not nominated for an Emmy in the outstanding variety, music or comedy series. His show had been nominated for 26 years in a row

Along with six of his former colleagues at CBS News, Mr. Halderman is up for an Emmy in the category called “outstanding continuing coverage of a news story in a news magazine.” He was a producer on a “48 Hours Mystery” episode titled “American Girl, Italian Nightmare.”

His nomination came as a surprise to some in the TV business, given that he was dismissed by CBS after he was arrested in the extortion attempt.

When asked whether CBS News nominated Mr. Halderman, a “48 Hours” spokesman said, “For more than two years, a team of journalists worked very hard on this important hour. The producers of 48 Hours felt that not to nominate their work would unfairly deprive the many other dedicated journalists involved of recognition they had earned.”

The news Emmy nominations were announced on Thursday. CBS earned 31 nominations, well more than ABC and NBC combined. The prime time Emmy nominations came out last week.

In May Mr. Halderman was handed a six-month jail term. With good behavior, he could be released as early as September. Mr. Halderman is prohibited from talking about Mr. Letterman’s personal life.

Pleading guilty last March, Mr. Halderman admitted, “I attempted to extort $2 million from David Letterman by threatening to disclose personal and private information about him, whether true or false.”

The bizarre case, which unfolded last fall, compelled Mr. Letterman to reveal details of the plot on his show, and to confess that he had had multiple affairs with female staff members.